Customers' credit card information stolen at area restaurants

Published: Friday, December 6, 2013 at 6:32 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 6, 2013 at 6:32 p.m.

Local Bojangles’ restaurants are encouraging customers to “monitor their credit card statements and contact their financial institutions if they notice any suspicious activity,” after credit card information was stolen from hundreds of people at area locations.

Detectives found account-compromising malware on the Bojangles’ Reastaurants chain’s computer system, and Bojangles officials said steps were immediately taken to safeguard customer data.

Outside experts were brought in to review and secure the system so that it is safe to process credit cards, according to a statement from Bojangles’ Restaurants Inc.

“Bojangles’ is aware that the credit card information of some customers may have been compromised at a small number of restaurants operated by a single franchisee, including restaurants in Asheville, Hendersonville and Waynesville,” the statement says.

“We did a lot of investigation to ensure that the crime was not being facilitated by employees or by any devices on their equipment,” Stout added. “It appears to be that malware was used to compromise cards and (information from the cards were) sold to third parties.”

The cloned cards were used at locations throughout the southeast, Stout said, popping up in places such as Atlanta and Orlando.

<p>Local Bojangles' restaurants are encouraging customers to “monitor their credit card statements and contact their financial institutions if they notice any suspicious activity,” after credit card information was stolen from hundreds of people at area locations. </p><p>Detectives found account-compromising malware on the Bojangles' Reastaurants chain's computer system, and Bojangles officials said steps were immediately taken to safeguard customer data.</p><p>Outside experts were brought in to review and secure the system so that it is safe to process credit cards, according to a statement from Bojangles' Restaurants Inc.</p><p>“Bojangles' is aware that the credit card information of some customers may have been compromised at a small number of restaurants operated by a single franchisee, including restaurants in Asheville, Hendersonville and Waynesville,” the statement says.</p><p>Henderson County Sheriff's Office Maj. Frank Stout said cloned cards were activated with the compromised account numbers.</p><p>“We did a lot of investigation to ensure that the crime was not being facilitated by employees or by any devices on their equipment,” Stout added. “It appears to be that malware was used to compromise cards and (information from the cards were) sold to third parties.” </p><p>The cloned cards were used at locations throughout the southeast, Stout said, popping up in places such as Atlanta and Orlando.</p>